KASHMIR RAIL LINK PROJECT: WHEN THE STABILITY RISKS ARE POINTED OUT, VIDEO CLIPS OF CONSTRUCTION ARE REMOVED

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These drone videos were shot by the project authorities using public money. These should be put back immediately

Recently two video clips of construction going on at two locations on the Kashmir Rail Link Project were posted on YouTube apparently to impress or misguide the people with the scale and size of the engineering structures being built for the railway line.

But, immediately after Alok Kumar Verma, Retired Engineering officer (IRSE), made adverse comments about the massive expenditure being incurred on slope stabilization, and the stability risks which these videos made apparent and “kanafoosi.com” tweeted about these comments, the videos were taken down.

All these tweets can be seen on the link given below:

“What A Shame !!“

One clip showed construction work at the foundations of Bridge No. 43 and portal of Tunnel No. 5. These are at the Katra-end approach to the mega height Chenab Bridge.

The other clip showed construction activity at the site of a massive landslides in 2017-20 where construction was going on for Bridge No. 2 and 3, and the cutting for building Sumber station and yard.

Both these videos of high-resolution images of the construction work were shot from a drone flying over the alignment, hovering above the massive slope stabilization works and bridge foundations.

The Video of Bridge No. 43 showed high bridge piers hanging on steep slopes.

The vedeo of Sumber captured close up images of the huge pile of rubble of the landslide at the slope-cutting and the construction activity at the foundations of the bridges.

Mr Verma, who has questioned Railway Board’s practice of building massive bridges and large, high cuttings on unstable mountain slopes on the Kashmir Rail Link and other six ongoing projects in Himalayas, yesterday commented on the visible signs of stability risks and huge expenditure to stabilize steep mountain slopes.

About the stability risk at Bridge No. 43 and massive slope stabilization works at the foundations of this bridge and the portal of Tunnel No 2, Verma said:

“Please see the size of the stabilization work at P-2 of T-5 and the other cuttings before Chenab Bridge. They must be crazy!! Also the precarious position of the piers of Bridge 43.”

About the cutting at Sumber where landslides took place recently Mr Verma said:

“The consultant for the Sumber cutting has proposed a plan that involves removing about 1 million cubic meters of landslide material – Yes, 1 million – and building a sort of mini Three Gorges Dam not for holding any water but for holding back the unstable slope in Himalayas!”

“Unbelievable wastage of public money! Are they making the Great Wall of China!!” Mr Verma commented.

Mr Verma had pointed out to the Ravindra Committee (2008-09) and the Sreedharan Committee (2015) that Bridge No. 43 and several other large bridges and cuttings on the 125 km long Katra-Banihal section will be required to be built on steep slope on deep deposits of slope debris.

Such deposits are known to be prone to landslides. He was particularly critical of the mega arch and mega height Chenab Bridge on the steep slopes of a gorge.

The Sreedharan Committee had said that the entire existing ‘serpentine’ alignment on the Katra-Banihal section should be abandoned because of high stability risks and it should be replaced by the shorter and straighter alignment prepared by Mr Verma which does not require construction of large bridges and cuttings on steep slopes.

In the last one year, Mr Verma has made several posts on Twitter about the railway line construction projects in the Himalayas and commented on the apparent signs of instability at huge structures, and the massive slope-stabilization works.

Recently, Railway Board escalated its media campaign to highlight the massive construction on the Kashmir Rail Link Project, particularly at the mega arch bridge on Chenab and the cable-stayed bridge on Anji.

Verma’s recent post on Twitter about the “obscene display of presumed engineering prowess” by Railway Board can be seen on the link below:

These drone videos were shot by the project authorities using public money. These should be put back on YouTube so that public and Mountain Engineering experts can see them and also be able to provide their valuable suggestion and feedback to the Government.

As per former Member Engineering Railway Board S. K. Vij opined, “Why do they not face the truth and set the course right even after huge delays, large wastages and having tarnished the name of the Nation. 18 years have passed, when will it be ready is not clear. The powers that are, haven’t got time for it, leaving it to mediocre Construction Unit. When powers find time, the ones in charge at that time will face the wrath as a first reaction before the skeletons start tumbling out. Delivering the sound project needs to be demanded by the PMO and in turn the present LG/J&K who has experience on Railways.”

Considering the inglorious past of the Kashmir Rail Link Project, including indictment of two Members of Railway Board by Delhi High Court in September, 2010 and scathing criticism of Railway Board’s handling of the Kashmir Rail Link Project by the CAG of India (in 2012) and the Public Accounts Committee (PAC, in 2013-14), the Government should immediately appoint a committee of experts to make a thorough examination of the following:

  1. Survivability of and the expenditure incurred on stabilization of the slopes at the foundations of bridges, and the numerous high cuttings, particularly: Bridge Nos. 38, 39, 43, 61, 87, 89, and Bridge Nos. 1 and 2.

  2. The cuttings at Salal, Sangaldan, Basindadhar, Sumbar and Arpinchala stations; and

  3. The portals of Tunnel Nos. 3, 5, 13, 14, 15, and 42 to 49.

  4. The landslides that have happened at Sangaldan and Sumber stations and rock strata collapses in Tunnels 1, and Tunnel Nos. 41 to 47

This and the other six projects are declared projects of National Importance and of immense strategic importance also.

Reputation of Indian Railway Engineers is also at stake.

Surely, construction on these projects can not be allowed to proceed further unless the stability risks and usefulness of lines that would result from the present alignments are once again critically examined.

-Suresh Tripathi

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